i would up the amp to the jl 1000/1.

 

also is your box ported or sealed? ported will hit alot harded and deeper

 

harder? Yes. Deeper? Not so sure about that one

 

The box is not ported.
Yeah I could go 1000/1 but with the purchase of the HU, comps, sub, cap, dampening material, amps, etc....I was trying to not break the bank, completely.

 

You need a new ported box built for the airspace of your trunk and the speaker you are using, and a bigger amp for sure

500 watts isn't enough, you should get a 1000 watt amp for that speaker at least (just sell the 500 watt amp and use the money from that towards your new one)

And the box is seriously the most important thing, my friend who owns a shop builds the best boxes in town where I live and he always says he could build you a box and you could put a swap meet sub inside it and it will still bump lol

Also I would recommend sound dampening in your trunk and trunk lid, it will clean the bass sound up a lot for not that much money and make a huge difference

Good luck with everything!





I was just wondering also, you said you installed front component speakers and that your bose amp is all bypassed now like it should be, but I was wondering what amp you are using to push your door speakers and your rear coaxils?

 

I really do think changing the box will improve overall sound quality and give me the thump I was expecting. If that doesn't work, I'll definitely sell the amp and upgrade to a 1000/1.

I'm using a v series alpine 4 channel amp for my door speakers. Nothing fancy but does the job.

As for the dampening....I have 1 layer of edead in the entire trunk and decklid. Maybe I should add another layer? Hmmmm.....

 

you shouldnt waste your money on edead do it right the first time and use damplifier if you are short money use RAAMMatt atleast its not asphalt

 

I am one lucky *****! I looked on ebay last night looking for a box for my 12W7. I entered "12W7 box" in the search field. And it was like entering a request to my ferry godmother because WALLA!!!! There it was. A used 12W7 High Output box for $130....and being sold 10 miles from where I live. I'm meeting the guy in 2 hours and buying the box. Hopefully this makes the difference in sound that I was initially expecting. If not, I'm going with plan B...sell the 500/1 and using that $$$ to buy the 1000/1. As Damon Waynes used to say on In Living Color....Mo money! Mo money! Mo money! Too bad I'm spending it and not making it!

 

Good... You had two problems. The box and the amp.

JL recommends the 1000/1 for the 12W7. The 500/1 will be inefficient in fully utilizing the potential of the 12W7 and you increase the chances of clipping at the top end.

The ghetto box needs to be scrapped with a better built box with better materials and the correct air volume. Along with internal dimensions you also have to subtract the volume that the sub will take up inside the box.

I'm pushing a 10W7 with the 500/1 and I can feel a breeze at the back of my head when I turn up the bass from my rear deck grills.

 

$130 for a box? Whats so special about it?

 

First of all...it was DEFINITELY the box. Put the sub in the high output box and BAM!...it sounds sweeeeet.

I don't know if the box is "special". But it's the box that JL "recommends" with their W7 series...from what I understand. It is the box that is black on the outside and has the red carpet on the inside. Kind of looks a messed up eye with redeye!

 

I have the exact same head unit and a 500/1 amp. My amp is only pushing a 10W6, not a 12W7, it sounds amazing.

Glad that it sounds better now. You are probably still under-powering your sub slightly with the 500/1 but if it sounds good enough for you currently I wouldn't bother messing with it.

 

ok now you have me wondering too... i have a 10w7 with a 500/1 in a sealed box... I was expecting it to hit a lot harder than it is...

if i give you guys the dimension to my box, could you tell me if its my box? I really would hate to spend money on another box, but if the size is too big, can i buy the polyfill (stuff from the pillows) and stuff it to decrease airspace? Will that do? Or do i definetly need a new box? My gains and everything is set properly. I've used the method JL recommended, with a voltmeter and all...

actually i found another thread... my box is very similar to this one:

https://g35driver.com/forums/showthr...highlight=10w7

i am not at home to measure it, but i think thats pretty similar to what i got.

 

Polyfill is used for boxes that are too small, not the other way around. If you have a box that is too large, you can secure additional pieces of MDF as braces into the box to decrease air volume.